Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government is conducting a comprehensive family survey as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines and the effective steps may reflect in the downward trend in COVID-19 cases, officials said on 9 April.

In a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy here on Thursday, the officials said the spike in cases was due to Tablighi Jamaat returnees. All those who returned from Delhi and their contacts have been traced and their samples collected, the officials said.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to conduct a comprehensive survey of households and asked them to include more details in the questionnaire besides the ICMR guidelines. The officials said two more categories have been added in the questionnaire as per the ICMR guidelines.

Jagan made it clear that there should be no error in the process and the details should be submitted on a real-time basis. He instructed officials to set up an isolation ward in every hospital.

Issues related to the agriculture department were also discussed during the meeting. The officials briefed Jagan about the paddy and maize purchasing centers and assured him that sales would increase in a week. The Chief Minister asked them to assess the number of vehicles required for the transportation of agricultural produce. Sale of bananas have begun with the support from self-help groups (SHGs), the officials told Jagan.

State minister of health Alla Nani, minister of agriculture Kurasala Kannababu, chief secretary Nilam Sawhney, DGP Gautam Sawang, special chief secretary of health Jawahar Reddy, and the advisor to the government, De Srinath Reddy, were present at the meeting.